Gartner says that the growth in the PC market in 2011 will slow to 9.3%, which is lower than the previously predicted 10.5% growth. The total number of computers predicted to ship this year is 385 million. Part of the reason growth in the market is slowing according to Gartner is that there are fewer compelling reasons for the consumer to upgrade their computer today. The company also predicts that there will be few direct replacements of PCs with tablets. The tablet is expected to be a complementary device to a computer.

"Consumer mobile PCs are no longer driving growth, because of sharply declining consumer interest in mini-notebooks. Mini-notebook shipments have noticeably contracted over the last several quarters, and this has substantially reduced overall mobile PC unit growth," said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner. "Media tablets, such as the iPad, have also impacted mobile growth, but more because they have caused consumers to delay new mobile PC purchases rather than directly replacing aging mobile PCs with media tablets. We believe direct substitution of media tablets for mobile PCs will be minimal."

Gartner predicts that over the next 18 months, PC growth will be supported by healthy replacement in the professional markets. Many of these professional users have been holding onto existing computers in the face of the sagging economy. "Businesses sharply reduced replacements and extended PC lifetimes in response to the recession," said Raphael Vasquez, research analyst at Gartner. "Businesses have begun replacing aging PCs more vigorously. We expect the growing urgency for businesses to migrate away from Windows XP will drive significant professional replacements."

The tablet market is continuing to grow with very robust sales of tablets like the iPad. The iPad is in such high demand that Apple is having a hard time keeping up with the demand and some users are willing to go to extreme measures to purchase one. Android tablets are also increasing in popularity and Windows tablets are starting to hit the market with capabilities more like a notebook than Android tablets or the iPad.

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From sleep PC's can wake in less then a second, which BTW is what your Ipad is waking from. A notebook is light and portable, and mine will last 5 hours(core I5 and Geforce 330) some can last up to 10 hours. Not to mention how much more useful they are then your Ipad. So what's your point?

You're going to rely on cloud, Ok buddy, good luck with that. rely completely on an external source to control your data, processing and everything else. That way when they tell you what to do, its easy for them to enforce it and it gives hackers one big target to bring you and everyone like you down.

Personally I wouldn't mind a cloud system where my PC is the cloud, but not one where they control it.

"A politician stumbles over himself... Then they pick it out. They edit it. He runs the clip, and then he makes a funny face, and the whole audience has a Pavlovian response." -- Joe Scarborough on John Stewart over Jim Cramer